Worried About a Prolonged Bear Market? Rest Easy With These 3 Dividend Stocks

The Nasdaq Composite briefly collapsed to 30% off its high on Thursday before rebounding at the end of the day and staging an epic rally on Friday. But so far this year, investors have seen the broader indexes come back, only to give up those gains and then fall even further to set fresh 52-week lows.

One of the worst feelings during a bear market is to get faked out. As much as we wish we can control short-term price action, we can't. The better strategy is to simply accept short-term unpredictability by positioning your portfolio for years of compounding growth.

However, retirees and investors who are nearing the capital preservation stage of their investment cycle may be more interested in safeguarding assets than reaching for outsize returns. For folks worried about a prolonged bear market, NextEra Energy Partners (NYSE: NEP), WM (NYSE: WM), and Hubbell (NYSE: HUBB) are three dividend stocks that can let you sleep well at night. Here's what makes each a great buy now.

Source Fool.com